"She wants to be the one to beat me" - Maycee Barber looks back at "bitterness" with Rose Namajunas, talks history after recent callout (Exclusive)

Maycee Barber recently opened up about her relationship with Rose Namajunas and addressed 'Thug' calling her out for a fight after beating Amanda Ribas at UFC Vegas 89 last weekend.

Barber recently went up against Katlyn Cerminara at UFC 299 in a women's flyweight bout. After three rounds, 'The Future' got her hand raised via unanimous decision and extended her winning streak to six fights.

Two weeks after her win, Barber found herself being called out by Namajunas, who put on a strong performance against Ribas this past weekend. In the UFC Vegas 89 post-fight presser, 'Thug' recalled knowing Barber when they were younger and referred to her as a "bully" in the cage.

In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA, Barber addressed Namajunas' callout and opened up about the history between them. She said:

"I think that's a great matchup for me. The only downside is that I'm fighting backwards. For the first time I can actually say fighting Rose Namajunas would be me fighting backwards in the division even though a win over her is a win over a former champion and someone who's been in such a great position for so long."

She continued:

"We do have some history, you know. I used to train with her out here in Denver and then I fought Audrey Perkins, who was a former teammate of hers, and then I fought JJ Aldrich... It just broke her when I beat JJ. There is some bitterness there. She wants to be the one to beat me."

Catch Maycee Barber's comments below (13:17):

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Maycee Barber on Erin Blanchfield vs. Manon Fiorot at UFC Atlantic City

In the same interview, Maycee Barber talked about the upcoming Erin Blanchfield vs. Manon Fiorot women's flyweight bout at UFC Atlantic City. 'The Future' shared her thoughts on the fight and speculated that the bout would go the distance.

Barber asserted that the bout was a classic grappler vs. striker affair and stated that whoever could play to their strength would get their hand raised. Breaking down the stylistic differences between Blanchfield and Fiorot, Barber said:

"Obviously it's striker [vs.] grappler. Erin's a grappler and Manon has the striking. I could see it going to decision. I don't really think that either of them are very exciting fighters, in my opinion. If Manon can keep the distance... I don't think Erin has very good striking. It's a toss-up, if Manon can keep it on the feet, I think she can outstrike Erin and if Erin can get her down... Erin has great jiu-jitsu." (14:45)